Take an audio and photo tour of Earthbound Beer’s new location and underground cellars

Earthbound Beer is a local micro-brewery that got its start two and a half years ago. Currently, the business is located in a cozy little 1000-square-foot shotgun-style building on Cherokee Street, right across from The Luminary.

As the brewery continues to experiment with unique beer ingredients and attempts to distribute them, Earthbound found itself with a new need for space. Conveniently enough, the solution to that problem is located right down the street.

Stuart Keating, owner of Earthbound Beer, prepares to take St. Louis Public Radio producer Collin Mueller on a tour of the brewery's soon-to-be new digs inside the old Cherokee Brewing Company on Cherokee St.

Credit Collin Mueller | St. Louis Public Radio

On May 19, Earthbound plans to move to a lot on the same block that is not only rich in history, but also opportunity. The property originally belonged to Cherokee Brewery Company, which was founded in 1866, but closed about 30 years later.

Since then, the building that currently stands has been home to a sausage factory, a horse stable, a carriage paint shop and a big office building. While the space that the building has to offer provides plenty of incentive to move locations, its true value comes from what’s underneath the building.

In the featured audio tour, the brewery’s head brewer and owner Stuart Keating takes us through every layer below ground level.

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St. Louis Public Radio Producer Collin Mueller takes us underground to the cellars of the old Cherokee Brewery Company, which will soon be home to Earthbound Beer.

MAIN LEVEL

The main level of the building will include the taproom, as well as a suspended mezzanine, both of which will provide a place for customers to eat hot dogs, among other foods, and drink beer.

A view of construction on the main floor/tap room of Earthbound Beer. This room will be where the bar is located. There is also a mezzanine suspended from the ceiling

Credit Collin Mueller | St. Louis Public Radio

A view of the main floor/taproom of Earthbound Beer. These stairs lead to the mezzanine above.

Credit Collin Mueller | St. Louis Public Radio

A view of brewing tanks on the main floor of Earthbound Beer. These are used for fermentation and are located in the back of the building.

Credit Collin Mueller | St. Louis Public Radio

BASEMENT

As of now, the basement is occupied by Earthbound’s brewing equipment. Big refrigerators and fermentation tanks occupy the floor. The foundation leans in one direction, making the walls and ceiling appear crooked.

A view of the basement of Earthbound Beer. To the right, you can see some of the refrigerators that will be used to store beer. To the left, there is a pile of limestone blocks.

Credit Collin Mueller | St. Louis Public Radio

A view of the basement of Earthbound Beer. These stairs used to be an access point to the basement from the main level, but are no longer used.

Credit Collin Mueller | St. Louis Public Radio

CELLAR

The walls in the cellar are made of beautiful quarried limestone. To access the cellar, it had to be cleared of rubble, which Keating says was not easy.

Brewmaster Stuart Keating, seen in a May 1 photo, stands in the excavated cellar below the taproom of Earthbound Brewery. It contains eight groin-vaulted arches, supported by a trio of three-foot limestone pillars.

Credit Nancy Fowler | St. Louis Public Radio

SUB-BASEMENT

The sub-basement is cold, wet and dark. The floor is covered by water and the only place to stand is on two planks of wood between a slab of concrete and a mound of dirt.

A view into the subbasement of Earthbound Beer's new location on Cherokee Street. The ladder pictured is 20 feet long.

Credit Collin Mueller | St. Louis Public Radio

A view of the sub-basement at Earthbound Beer. On the left are the dimly lit walls and support of the subbasement. The ground is covered in water. To the right is the 20 foot ladder required to access the subbasement.

Credit Collin Mueller | St. Louis Public Radio

OUTSIDE

The entrance is made of big wooden double doors set into an arched frame. The exterior of the building is made of red brick, which will be tuckpointed and re-mortared by the time they open.

A contractor works on the exterior of Earthbound Beer. He is touching up the appearance of the brick walls. To the left of him is the main entrance.

Credit Collin Mueller | St. Louis Public Radio

The doors to Earthbound Beer. A big, wooden double door with an arched frame, located on the side of the building facing Cherokee Street.

Credit Collin Mueller | St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer and Kelly Moffitt give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.